Brendan Rodgers Thread

[Torvald Utne]

Wanted Rafa, but I guess this guy is potentially better than the rest of the options. Shame about his accent but at least it's not a very strong one.

[PaulMcC]

It's a fucking ballsy appointment. It's going to upset a lot pf people but it should get exciting knowing we are going to see something different next year.

 

I don't think we will get top four but i don't reckon we will regardless of who is in charge. I just want to see progress. With regards to signing players I bet you Suarez didn't have a fucking clue who Kenny Dalglish was when he signed for us. Players will sign for LFC if not the manager.

 

In my opinion, after they decided Kenny was going, it was time to take a risk like this and I'm glad we've gone for someone positive rather than negative.

 

Seeing Kenny has been scouting him and no doubt talking to him since before Rafa was sacked, I reckon he knew who he was.

[me1]

Joining the ranks of the seriously underwhelmed, and that's all down to the FSG arseholes.

A mid ranking future awaits. FFS.

[Jairzinho]

It's a fucking ballsy appointment. It's going to upset a lot pf people but it should get exciting knowing we are going to see something different next year.

 

I don't think we will get top four but i don't reckon we will regardless of who is in charge. I just want to see progress. With regards to signing players I bet you Suarez didn't have a fucking clue who Kenny Dalglish was when he signed for us. Players will sign for LFC if not the manager.

 

In my opinion, after they decided Kenny was going, it was time to take a risk like this and I'm glad we've gone for someone positive rather than negative.

 

Yeah, its a big gamble. I'm not entirely convinced we needed to take such a risk, but whatever, it is what it is.

 

Hopefully he'll swiftly clear out all the shite that has no chance of being able to play the style of football he'll want us playing.

[Mathewbet1]

Is that rafa on ice for another 12 months then? He'll always be looming.

[JoeyJones65]

He's got guts taking this job on fair play. I just hope he doesn't come to regret it, what with our trigger happy "Champions League or else" owners.

 

Hope he succeeds, but if he fails I won't blame him, I will blame the owners for fucking us up.

[Guest ShoePiss]

Wanted Rafa, but I guess this guy is potentially better than the rest of the options. Shame about his accent but at least it's not a very strong one.

 

I've never heard him speak, I can't stand a northern irish accent. They can't even say 'no', it comes out as noighe

[Mr T]

You oughta do read up on him, it should make you feel more pleased if this comes off. Really exciting manager that comes across very well.

 

I'm watching him on MOTD3, penultimate one of the season. He wants to play good football, speaks Spanish and believes British players can be as good technically and tactically as Europeans as long as they are coached how to do it.

 

I'm liking the cut of his jibb so far.

[xerxes]

Good news for Charlie Adam, probably bad news for Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll.

 

Rodgers will lnow Steve Clarke from Chelsea I guess?

[The Guest]

Don't be silly. Agree with the rest of your post, though.

 

Sorry I didn't mean in terms of he actually knew Dalglish or met him, I mean I bet he didn't know he was in terms of his stature at the club and what he had achieved, that he had won the league with two different clubs, won the European cup three times etc etc. To him Dalglish was probably just some old footballer from the UK who had been put in charge of Liverpool.

 

I might be way off the mark like but my point was that he signed for LFC not Dalglish and players will probably still do that.

[WhiskeyJar]

Brendan Rodgers agrees deal to be new Liverpool manager

 

It has been a long and emotional journey to Anfield for Brendan Rodgers

 

Rodgers is new Liverpool manager

Rodgers has big future - Hartson

Rodgers rejects Liverpool talks

Brendan Rodgers has agreed a deal to become the new manager of Liverpool Football Club.

 

The Carnlough man is understood to have signed a three-year contract at Anfield and his appointment is likely to be officially confirmed within 24 hours.

 

Liverpool is expected to pay between £4m and £5m in compensation to secure the County Antrim man's services.

 

Becoming manager of one of the biggest clubs in football may seem like a meteoric rise for the 39-year-old.

 

However, it has been a long and at times difficult journey for the Carnlough man.

 

He turned to coaching after being forced to retire as a player at 20 because of a genetic knee condition.

 

After a spell managing Watford he became manager of his former club Reading, only to leave "by mutual consent" after just seven months.

 

Rodgers, who is married with two children, had been youth team coach at Reading after his playing career ended, before being invited by the "Special One", Jose Mourinho, to take the same role a Chelsea in 2004.

 

Continue reading the main story

Brendan Rodgers Factfile

 

He was raised in Carnlough where he spent much of his youth playing Gaelic football and hurling

As a young coach, he travelled around Europe and now speaks Spanish and Italian

His son Anton plays for Brighton's youth team and has represented the Republic of Ireland at U-17 level

His nickname is Buck

He was eventually promoted to become manager of their reserve team in 2006.

 

"I like everything in him," Mourinho said. "He is ambitious and does not see football very differently from myself.

 

"He is open, likes to learn and likes to communicate."

 

Despite his early exit from the top job at Reading, Rodgers was appointed Swansea City manager on 16 July 2010.

 

By the following April, he guided Swansea to the Championship play-offs and faced his old club Reading at Wembley on 30 May.

 

Swansea won the game 4-2 to become the first Welsh team to gain promotion to the Premier League.

 

Afterwards, Rodgers said: "At 4-2 and 30 odd seconds to go - and I've never, ever done it before - my mind sort of wandered to my journey as a coach.

 

"From my early 20s, working with kids, driving many hours, missing time with my family, all that emotion - the whole journey flashes through your mind."

 

Although they were among the favourites to be relegated the next season, Swansea instead finished a respectable 11th place in the table, and drew praise for their passing game and a string of impressive performances, including a 3-2 victory over Arsenal.

 

Rodgers was named Premier League Manager of the Month in January.

 

He lost his mother, Christina, in 2010 and his father Malachy the following year to cancer.

 

Rodgers said he liked to think his team's performance reflected his father's work ethic.

 

"I used to help dad paint and decorate to earn pocket money. He installed in me the value of a hard day's work. He believes that leads to success in whatever you do. He's right," he said.

 

"He'd work from dawn to dusk to ensure his young family had everything. I think you can see his philosophies in my team."

[TheHowieLama]

Keep it tight...

 

[Evil_Ways]

Good news for Charlie Adam, probably bad news for Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll.

 

Rodgers will lnow Steve Clarke from Chelsea I guess?

 

Yeah, remember some quote from Rodgers before we faced Swansea this season about how Kenny had an excellent coach in Steve Clarke, or something along those lines, and there's also whispers about Clarke's resignation not being accepted because it was Rodgers coming in. Who knows tho...

[Torvald Utne]

Good news for Charlie Adam, probably bad news for Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll.

 

Rodgers will lnow Steve Clarke from Chelsea I guess?

 

Why is this good news for Charlie Adam?

 

If it is I want Rodgers sacked NOW!

[The Guest]

Seeing Kenny has been scouting him and no doubt talking to him since before Rafa was sacked, I reckon he knew who he was.

 

That's a massive assumption. Why would Dalglish have been talking to Suarez before Rafa was sacked?

[Newport]

A big relief to be honest. And I think it's a very brave appointment. There's just something that feels very right about this.

[WhiskeyJar]

Swansea 3-2 Arsenal: Swansea outpass Arsenal | Zonal Marking

 

Passing

 

However, the interesting thing about the passing statistics was that neither side passed as reliably as they usually do. Swansea’s pass completion ratio was 80% compared to their usual 85.5%, Arsenal’s 79% compared to their usual 84.9%. There were lots of underhit square balls, lots of hurried passes in midfield.

 

A major reason for that, of course, was that both sides knew each other’s game and tried to press from the front. This was a huge factor in the game, because the pattern of pressing fitted the pattern of the game overall – Arsenal started better but faded, Swansea started slowly but got much more energetic and efficient as the game went on. They were also much better at winning tackles, with a significantly higher success rate. (Incidentally, this was a very clean game, with no yellow cards).

 

 

The game was mainly based around use of the ball and pressing than individual positioning, but there was one exception to this. Miquel, playing out of position at left-back, played far too high up the pitch and left a gap in behind him, which Laurent Koscielny had to try and cover whilst holding a position in the middle.

 

Both Swansea’s second and third goals came from a player getting the ball in behind Miquel down that side, and it’s clear that Arsenal’s lack of a recognised full-back on either side is causing them major problems. After the defeat to Fulham, where the game was turned around after Fulham targeted Johan Djourou to get him sent off (in Arsene Wenger’s view), it is two consecutive games where Arsenal have turned wins into defeats primarily because of a weakness at full-back.

 

Conclusion

 

Swansea outpassed Arsenal, which was the first victory. The second, equally crucial factor was managing to stop them breaking. This was partly because they pressed well at the front when the ball was lost and partly because Arsenal played poorly – Alex Song wasn’t a force, Aaron Ramsey had a disappointing game and Benayoun doesn’t yet look comfortable in the system having started so few games.

 

That, combined with a clear Arsenal weakness in the left-back position, was enough for the win. Swansea will play much better this season, but playing against a side like Arsenal suits their passing game.

[zigackly]

Shite appointment.

[TheHowieLama]

I bet he didn't know he was in terms of his stature at the club and what he had achieved, that he had won the league with two different clubs, won the European cup three times etc etc.

 

You are an idiot.

[Jhinge Machha]

I think he wears fantastic coats

[PaulMcC]

That's a massive assumption. Why would Dalglish have been talking to Suarez before Rafa was sacked?

 

Cos he was going to watch Suarez since Rafa was in charge.

[JermainePennant]

Martinez has a better cv as he has kept Wigan in the prem for 3 years on a loe budget while Rodgers has had a couple of good seasons at Swansea carrying on the philosophy Martinez built there.Phil brown had 1 good season in the prem and even Lambert looks better with what he has done at Norwich.

 

Rafa,Avb and Capello were availible but it looks like fsg have gone for a manager who will be a yes man for whoever dof is.

 

Rodgers out 18 months at most another few years without champs league.

[fowler9]

He's got guts taking this job on fair play. I just hope he doesn't come to regret it, what with our trigger happy "Champions League or else" owners.

 

.

 

 

why are people so convinved it was "champions league or else"

 

I think Kenny went because we were nowhere near the champions league, if we'd have challenged for it and narrowly missed out he would still be here imo

[Randy Marsh]

Feeling weirdly calm and maybe even a bit excited about this appointment.

 

A couole of weeks ago I was dead against it but the more I've thought about the situation I think this is exactly what we need. The club is stale, it has stagnated and to say we were treading water was probably being generous as anyone who attended Anfield over the past six months will testify. We need a shake up, we need fresh ideas and we need something new. We have been close once in 22 years, so why not try something else as the old methods clearly don't work anymore.

 

It's still to be confirmed whether Rodgers will be working under someone, but given that Ayre said the DoF role is being split up then although the BBC are rightly saying there'll be no DoF, it wouldn't at all surprise me to see Van Gaal and Pep Segura assume senior positions.

 

It now seems clear that Rodgers was the man all along, maybe FSG did throw Martinez and Whelan's gob in to the mix to take everyone off the scent as was hopefully suggested last week. I think the keeping of Steve Clarke in hindsight points to their wish to have him and Rodgers working together again as at Chelsea.

 

This doesn't feel at all like the Hodge appointment. I knew that was a huge backward step, the man had never succeeded in big jobs and played turgid football. Rodgers has never been given that chance. I can honestly say Swansea were the most impressive side i saw at Anfield last season.

 

I wanted Rafa but they were never going to speak to him. Without CL we were never going to attract a proven Champion at the highest level. We have to be realistic. So all in all in happy with this and excited as to what next season may hold. Let's get behind the feller and the club, he needs our support from day 1. He starts from a good position, a talented squad who massively underachieved. FSG will surely back him with funds this summer so let's see what he can do. Maybe he can build something.

Edited May 30, 2012 by Randy Marsh

[2pak]

Take that you big ... [insert word here]